To mark International Pride Month this June, Qtopia Sydney has launched Honour the Past, Create the Future, a transformative new curriculum-linked education program tailored for secondary students in partnership with the NSW Department of Education.
Held onsite at Qtopia Sydney during Pride Fest 2025, this experience offers students in Years 7 to 12 the opportunity to explore the history of LGBTQIA+ activism, connect with living advocates for equality and reflect on how young people can create change in their own communities.
“This is more than a history lesson, it’s an invitation to young people to see themselves in the world, to understand the legacy they inherit and imagine the future they want to create,” said Greg Fisher, CEO of Qtopia Sydney. “For many students, this may be the first time they’ve heard Queer stories told with pride and power. That visibility matters. We know that education saves lives, and this program is proof of that.”
The program is directly curriculum-linked across History, PDHPE, Society & Culture and Legal Studies, and is grounded in the belief that students learn best when real stories are shared in real places.
Qtopia Sydney has received high praise for their inclusive and educational impact. “I had the great pleasure to see first-hand the great work that schools and Qtopia Sydney are doing together to promote inclusivity,” said NSW Deputy Premier Prue and Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Carr after a visit to the centre earlier this year.
Sessions begin with a video that charts the origins of Pride Month, from the Stonewall riots to Australia’s own 1978 Mardi Gras protest. Students then explore the evolution of LGBTQIA+ rights in Australia through a series of guided case studies and interactive exhibition work. The program also features a guest speaker whose advocacy has contributed to real social or legal change.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Rebbell Barnes, a 78er and Qtopia Sydney Ambassador
- Garry Wotherspoon, historian and author of Gay Sydney: A History
- Elaine Czullkowski, Chair of Qtopia Sydney and long standing LGBTQIA+ rights campaigner
- Jeremy Smith, artist, advocate and survivor of conversion therapy
Their stories bring complex issues to life, offering students rare access to those who have shaped Australia’s queer history firsthand.
Small group work forms a key part of the program, with students engaging directly with exhibitions to explore one of six case studies that spotlight advocacy in action. These case studies trace major moments of change, from law reform and marriage equality to the reclamation of symbols and community spaces. Others focus on contemporary voices, like activist Abbie Jane and artist Jeremy Smith, showing that activism doesn’t end with protest, it evolves through art, empathy and persistence.
The program concludes with a “legacy gift” activity inspired by the Rainbow Shoelace Project, where students create rainbow bead shoelaces to be gifted to another school. Each student makes something for themselves, for someone they know and for someone they’ll never meet, a gesture that reinforces the central message that small acts can spark big change.
An optional creative extension is also available, using theatre sports to encourage self-expression, confidence and identity. Schools can also request this in place of the case study component if preferred.
Honour the Past, Create the Future is a rare opportunity for schools to engage students with Pride Month in a way that is inclusive, meaningful and curriculum aligned.
Bookings are now open.
